Psalm 31:3--what I learned from a week of teaching

... tú eres mi roca y mi fortaleza,
        y por amor de tu nombre me conducirás y me guiarás.

I teach in a Catholic school, and every period opens with prayer or devotion.  Since I teach Spanish, the prayer/devotion is in that language.  Since my students are Spanish 2, I give the verse/prayer in Spanish and then enlarge upon it in English.  

So for a whole week, my students (I hope) and I concentrated on the above verse:  Psalm 31:3.  "... you are my rock and my fortress, and for love of your name, you will direct me and guide me." I wanted to share some of my devotions for that week.  Don't worry--the entire devotion could take no more than 5 minutes or so; this will not take forever.   Promise!

First of all--for love of your name.

Why should God care about me enough to direct and guide me?  Well, because I am his.  I reflect him.  He loves his own, and I bear his name.  A good father guides his children, and in the past, it was expected that we conduct ourselves appropriately because of our good name.  I was a Wood--my behavior reflected upon the Woods past and present.  Therefore, it was my responsibility to act in a way that would make the name of Wood shine.  It was my parents' responsibility to teach me how to act that way.  I think this idea is becoming a thing of the past in the US, and it makes me sad.  Another idea that came from this section is the fact that the name goes both ways:  I bear his name, and he carries my name in the palm of his hand.  We are intimately connected, my Lord and I.

Next:  My fortress

I always pictured a fortress as a place to run and hide when trouble threatened, but a fortress was more than that.  A fortress was a place where people lived.  While war was waged around me, I could know that I was safe in my fortress.  Understanding that this psalm was written by a man in the midst of war, we can understand that even though the conflict goes on all around me, I am safe within the fortress of God's love.  So why is it that I choose to only run inside when there is danger?  Isn't it a better idea to live my whole life within the safety of the fortress?  Lean on the Lord in your distress, yes, but also learn to lean on him when the times are good.  That way you're used to the fortress and can be assured that you're protected when times get tough.

My rock:

A fortress I can understand.  We can be safe inside while the battle rages outside.  But a rock?  What on earth is safe about a rock?  I actually had to look this up.  But when I did, it was a "ohhh" experience.  A rock means strength.   Well, God is our Rock.  He is our strength-he will fight our battles and be an ever-present help in times of need.  When I think of this idea--ever-present help--I think of growing up and going to the beach.  We knew we were almost there when we could see Morro Rock in the distance.  It is a big, beautiful rock, and its presence brought us hope and joy because our trip was ending and vacation fun was beginning.  When we look at Christ our Rock, we have hope and joy because we have a friend and brother who fights on our side and has guaranteed that we will win the race.

He will conduct us and guide us:

Have you ever watched a shepherd guiding his sheep?  The shepherd has a rod and a staff.   If the sheep veered off,  the shepherd was there for him, not to hit or frighten, but simply to guard and guide.  The sticks were there to keep the sheep safe.  The rod disciplined and protected the sheep from intruders; the staff guided them so they wouldn't veer to far off the path.  Well, I am a sheep and the Lord is my Shepherd. If I veer off my path, I can rest assured that I won't veer too far, because he is right there beside me, using his rod and staff to guard me and guide me.  I know that at times it seems that you have gone too far, but just ask him to forgive you--you'll find that he's been there all along, and he's always willing to bring you back to the right path.

Well, that was my week in prayer.  What about yours?